novelraw Chapter 74
Chapter 74
“Room Master?”
“Have you been drinking?”
“Should we help you back to rest for a bit?”
Su Wangchuan and Lin Xun returned to the Yulong Gang’s main hall. Along the way, they encountered quite a few people, all of whom were warm and friendly.
Su Wangchuan smiled and waved them off politely.
“It’s fine.”
“I’ll go to the training grounds to sober up a bit.”
In this state, forging iron was definitely out of the question.
Su Wangchuan entered the training grounds and immediately went to the iron dummy stakes.
The training methods Captain Zhao Heiniu understood were naturally surpassed by what the Yulong Gang possessed.Iron dummy stakes!
Along the wall of the training grounds stood twelve iron dummy stakes, all cast from refined iron and driven deep into the ground, unmoving and unshakable.
Su Wangchuan immediately began practicing Black Tiger Fist.
Pounce, grab, lock, tear, palm strike, body crash, elbow strike, thrust, clinch, double thrust, whip kick, sweeping kick.
This was a complete training sequence he had refined and solidified himself, allowing him to perform an entire set smoothly at the fastest possible pace.
Practicing it ten times would roughly increase one point of experience.
After completing a full round, Su Wangchuan was drenched in hot sweat.
The alcohol in his body slowly evaporated along with the sweat.
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang!
The iron dummy stakes resounded with dull impacts as he struck them.
Su Wangchuan was fully immersed, his movements growing faster and smoother. He did not even notice when Lin Xun arrived at the entrance of the training grounds, hands clasped behind his back, watching intently.
After a while, another person arrived.
An elderly man with graying temples and an imposing bearing.
Lin Xun immediately stepped forward and bowed.
“Gang Leader.”
The newcomer was none other than the Yulong Gang’s leader, Yang Feiyue.
Yang Feiyue raised a hand to stop him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed at the young man in the training grounds.
“So he’s the new Room Master of the Weapon Room?”
“Yes, Gang Leader. This is Wangchuan.”
“I heard he was a promising talent you recommended.”
Yang Feiyue spoke calmly.
Lin Xun nodded.
“This subordinate encountered him in Blackstone Village. I found that this child had good talent and comprehension, and was exceptionally diligent. He also has deep affection and loyalty toward his village, so I took a liking to him.”
“Not bad.”
Yang Feiyue nodded with a smile.
“He is indeed a good seedling. With his joining, everyone in the Weapon Room has become full of vigor. Compared to when Room Master Zhang was around, the difference is substantial. I just didn’t expect that he also has talent in martial cultivation. His Black Tiger Fist has already reached Minor Mastery, and his natural foundation is quite solid. He has already reached the level of a Quasi-Martial Artist. With a bit of cultivation, our Yulong Gang will gain another martial artist.”
“This subordinate has heard that he practices martial arts because he promised his master that if Blackstone Village is harassed by Blackwind Stronghold in the future, he will return to provide aid…”
With a single sentence, Lin Xun removed the label of neglecting his duties from Su Wangchuan, while also earning him a good impression in the Gang Leader’s eyes for knowing gratitude.
“Mhm, very good.”
“Knowing gratitude is a rare quality.”
Yang Feiyue nodded repeatedly, then continued,
“During this period, the Weapon Room has performed well. Especially on the night before dealing with the Nu Tao Gang, the timely forging of armor-piercing arrows provided us with great convenience and reduced the casualties among our members. I have been thinking about how to reward the Room Master. Elder Lin, what do you suggest?”
“This subordinate would not dare to make a rash evaluation.”
Lin Xun quickly replied.
“However, for Wangchuan, what he currently possesses should already be quite satisfying. No matter what the Gang Leader rewards him with, he will be very pleased.”
“Elder Lin, you really are too slick, haha.”
Yang Feiyue smiled at Lin Xun.
“Since you put it that way, then reward him with a First-Rank Martial Art, Lightfoot on Grass, to help him break through into the martial artist ranks as soon as possible. With strength, at the very least, when facing those bandits from Blackwind Stronghold, he’ll have the ability to protect himself and retreat safely. What do you think?”
“The Gang Leader is wise!”
Lin Xun clasped his fists.
“Let’s go. There are still some loose ends on the Nu Tao Gang’s side. There’s a task that requires you to handle it.”
Yang Feiyue led Lin Xun away.
Su Wangchuan had actually already dissipated the alcohol in his body and heard the entire conversation between Yang Feiyue and Lin Xun.
He simply did not feel it was appropriate to stop.
Once the two had walked far enough away, he finally let out a long breath of relief.
“Rewarded with a First-Rank Martial Art, Lightfoot on Grass. Isn’t that Brother Lin Xun’s movement technique?”
“Movement techniques are far more valuable than ordinary martial arts. It would cost around two hundred taels of silver to buy one on the black market!”
“I can finally cultivate lightness skill.”
Su Wangchuan was overjoyed.
As expected!
He practiced boxing all the way until noon. While waiting at the Weapon Room, Hall Master He arrived.
Hall Master He personally delivered the Lightfoot on Grass manual, saying that it was a reward from the Gang Leader for the Weapon Room Room Master’s diligent service.
Su Wangchuan hurriedly expressed his thanks.
Hall Master He patted his shoulder and lowered his voice.
“I have a brother under me who recently broke through to Quasi-Martial Artist. He plans to cultivate Gale Saber Art, but he’s a bit short on money and can’t afford a suitable weapon.”
Su Wangchuan immediately understood. Hall Master He was using the delivery of the manual as a pretext to ask for a favor.
He agreed on the spot.
“Leave it to me. In three days, I’ll have Fei Zai deliver it to you.”
“Haha… Room Master Wangchuan really handles matters cleanly!”
“Good.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Hall Master He was very pleased that Su Wangchuan understood the unspoken rules.
Holding the manual, Su Wangchuan escorted Hall Master He out of the front hall, then returned to his own room. He immediately opened the manual and began studying it.
No matter what, memorize it first. Entering the door was the priority.
At this point, he had already mastered four First-Rank Martial Arts:
Black Tiger Fist; Minor Mastery;
Hundred Paces Piercing the Poplar; Entry-Level;
Yang Family Spear Technique; Entry-Level;
Lightfoot on Grass; Entry-Level;
The overall realm was, frankly speaking, miserable.
In order to rapidly increase his strength before Constable Yu departed at the end of the year, Su Wangchuan handed all Hundredfold Steel forging tasks in the Weapon Room to Qian Sihai.
The other apprentices were responsible for forging iron weapons. Aside from stopping by morning, noon, and night to supervise, he spent all remaining time immersed in the training grounds.
He trained Black Tiger Fist against the iron dummy stakes for an entire day, pushing it to Practice Makes Perfect, gaining one point of Strength and one point of Agility.
Once a martial art reached Practice Makes Perfect, it required real combat to continue increasing experience, so he temporarily set it aside and turned to cultivating Yang Family Spear Technique.
The biggest difference between Yang Family Spear Technique and Basic Spear Technique lay in their focus. Basic Spear Technique emphasized thrusting, with monotonous attack methods.
Yang Family Spear Technique was a military spear art that emphasized strength and momentum, with wide, powerful movements and explosive force. During cultivation, it demanded full commitment.
An ordinary spear from the weapon rack shattered after only a few strikes against the iron dummy stakes. Even the spearhead was smashed dull.
He decisively switched to his own Hundredfold Steel spear.
With a twist and a shake of both hands, the spearhead blossomed into flowers, scraping sparks across the iron dummy stake. He retreated to gather strength, then attacked and swept again…
“Spear techniques aren’t easy to practice smoothly in sequence. It’s better to train each move separately.”
“First practice thrusting, then sweeping and chopping, then lifting and shocking strikes…”
Amid the crisp clanging of metal on metal, the experience of Yang Family Spear Technique began to increase bit by bit. By the end of the day, it had finally reached Minor Mastery as hoped, increasing his Strength by one point.
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